


Hostage Situation

by detectivelion



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bruce Has Issues, Hulk is a bit of a mother hen, Kidnapping, M/M, So is JARVIS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-21
Updated: 2015-05-23
Packaged: 2018-03-31 13:31:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3979807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/detectivelion/pseuds/detectivelion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Abomination kidnapped me, kept me in a cave in Arizona for two days, Hulk smashed."</p><p>For the Avengerkink, under the prompt of Tony being kidnapped by the Abomination and rescued by the green giant.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> http://avengerkink.livejournal.com/20598.html?thread=50514806#t50514806
> 
> ^^Prompt here^^

He’d been confident that the team would find him in no time. The sun had gone down and returned two times and Tony’s hopes were beginning to wane, something cold and dark settling in his stomach as he shivered against the cave walls.

If the yellow rage monster didn’t kill him first, hunger would do the job for him. His stomach cramped and rumbled incessantly, and the creature before him twitched and scowled each time. The Abomination had been aptly named. His skin was yellow-gray and stretched over bones and tendons like it was too small to fit over his body. When he moved, his oversized talons scraped against the cave floor and the ridges on his back and chest shifted. Watching him for too long made Tony want to retch.

His stomach growled again. The aching hunger in his gut was nothing compared to the trepidation with which he eyed Abomination. The monster’s eyes slid open, milky eyes meeting his. There was another growl, and Tony flinched as a fist slammed into the wall only a foot from his head.

“Be quiet,” Abomination snarled. His hand drew back, blood seeping from where his own nails had punctured the skin. Tony scrambled away from the drops, remembering what Bruce had told him about his blood, bursting with enough gamma to kill him if he came into contact with it. He slipped in his haste, falling back only for large fingers to curl around his body before he could hit the ground.

His feet kicked as he was yanked up into Abomination’s face, rancid breath puffing against Tony as he growled, “Where is Hulk?” The fingers squeezed tight until he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t even smell the rot on the monster’s tongue. “You and Banner… He would look for you. Why hasn’t he _found_ you!” His yell left Tony’s ears aching, his grip making his ribs feel like they were about to cave in. The arc reactor was being pressed forcefully into his chest. That was new, Tony hazily noted, a pleasant change from it being yanked _out_.

His vision was beginning to go spotty, so he didn’t think much of it when the Abomination’s roar sounded so far away.

When he could breathe again, Tony found himself face down on the cave floor, shaking and heaving. He coughed, a hand creeping up to his chest to probe his reactor. It still hummed with warmth.

Another roar, no longer so distant, brought Tony struggling to his feet. He realized belatedly that he was alone in the cave, and that the roar was not Abomination’s. Somehow his legs carried him to the mouth of the cave so the inventor could squint into the light. Before his eyes could adjust, a convenient shadow passed over him, giving him a full view of the raging battle before him.

Raging was the only word for it. Yellow and green hands were locked together, feet pushing up dirt as Abomination and Hulk fought to make the other yield.

“It’s about time, jade jaws!” Tony cheered. Hulk glanced over to him. Before he could read the giant’s face, Abomination howled and surged forward, barreling him over. They both rolled across the clearing until Abomination got his hands around Hulk’s throat, squeezing tight. A green hand clawed at the dirt until it found the trunk of a pine tree. The wood groaned and splintered before being torn free and shoved into the yellow behemoth’s face 

He recoiled, giving Hulk the time to bash him over the head with the tree. And then again and again, until the trunk split in half. Then he went tumbling from a kick to the stomach, and Tony’s vision was filled with sandy grey. His head was suddenly trapped between two fingers, and he knew that all it would take was a slight squeeze and his skull would be separated from the rest of his body.

“Make one move and I’ll tear off Stark’s head.” Tony barely cared about the words, focusing on restarting his heart. The Abomination went on to say something else, but it went unheard beneath an earsplitting bellow 

Whatever happened next, Tony didn’t see it. The fingers pulled away, knocking him to the ground but no worse for wear. He glanced up and the Abomination was on the ground, eyes rolled up in his head and the Hulk standing over him. Hulk’s chest heaved, fingers rolling in and out of fists as he gnashed his teeth at the fallen creature.

Tony was slow to approach him. Pebbles crunched under his feet. Hulk whipped his head around, face twisted into absolute fury as Tony was fixed beneath boiling green eyes. He raised his hands as though in surrender. “Whoa there, big guy,” he cautioned, voice raspy. “Just me. Metal man?”

As though he’d spoken magic words, the anger seeped out of Hulk’s face. His shoulders lost their tension as he rocked his weight between his toes and heels. He padded forward, paused, then backtracked. “Metal man,” he repeated. “Hurt? 

“Not hurt,” Tony promised. Hulk’s expression hardened and he amended, “badly. Not hurt badly. You stopped him before I could be.”

The giant looked back at Abomination and sneered a bit. Then he took a few lumbering footsteps towards Tony and, ignoring his protests, plucked the man off the ground. It was strange to be beneath the Hulk’s scrutiny, a mix of prodding and snuffling. When he poked Tony’s chest, the inventor sucked in a sharp breath. He was set down immediately, with more care than he realized the Hulk could have. Of course, he was put in the giant’s lap instead of on the ground. Which… actually wasn’t too bad. He radiated warmth the same way his blood radiated gamma.

Regardless, Tony tried to push himself back up to his feet. The Hulk rumbled warningly, lifting a hand and prodding the man’s shoulder. He flopped back against the green chest, then heaved a sigh when a large arm draped over him to keep him in place.

He drifted off listening to the loud thump of the Hulk’s pulse.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Tony recognized the sound of the quinjet’s engine the same way he knew the hum of his own arc reactor. He was slow to rouse, a bit disoriented. Bruce was the one who snoozed after missions, not Tony. 

A tug in his arm made him pause. He craned his head up, getting a glance at a needle taped into his arm before someone was pushing him gently back down onto the bed. “Stay down, Stark,” Steve told him. “That’s just to get some nutrients in you, no drugs right now.” 

“Yeah,” Tony gritted out, “I can tell. Could you quit touching my chest?” The hand was gone immediately, followed by a hurried apology. He sucked in a breath, wincing again. “Fuck it feels like my ribs are cracked.”

A new voice joined in. “They might be,” Natasha said. At least, he assumed it was Natasha. It sounded like her, emanating from out of Tony’s current view. “Abomination kept you alive until Hulk could find you, but he wasn’t concerned with collateral damage.”

The name brought memories rushing back. Tony groaned, letting his head loll to the side. “That’s gamma monsters for you,” he grumbled. “I like ours better.”

“Speaking of whom, I better wake Banner.” Natasha fell silent and didn’t speak again, so Tony assumed she had left. 

The quiet only continued for a few moments before Steve asked, “You feeling alright?”

“Oh, I’m great. Just got manhandled by the ugliest creature I’ve ever seen and considering some of the creatures we’ve fought that is a very impressive statement.” Steve snorted, and Tony tried not to think about the feeling of being tossed up in the air, up and down and up and down like he was some toy for Blonsky to play with until the real party arrived. 

Up and down like a doll, until Abomination got bored and decided not to catch him. Until he got impatient and decided Tony wasn’t worth keeping around long enough for the Hulk to get there.

“Stark?” 

Tony started a bit, glancing back at Steve. Concern was on the captain’s face. “Yes, dear?” 

The concern evaporated, replaced by an amused huff and an eyeroll.

Tony sighed, turning his head away from Steve and closing his eyes.

He was in a different bed when he woke up, this time pleasantly free of tubes and needles. Tony tried to push himself up, only to curse loudly and slump back against the pillows.

“I would not recommend that course of action, sir. Two of your ribs are fractured and you have considerable bruising.” 

Tony glared at the ceiling. “Bit late on the memo, J. Is Bruce here?”

“I sent for him once I detected you were waking. He should be here in approximately ten seconds.”

Ten seconds later, the door opened and Bruce stepped inside. He was in full doctor-mode, his glasses and lab coat on. His curls were in even more disarray than usual, as though he’d woken up and started moving without brushing his hair. The bags under his eyes were darker than Tony had seen them in months. 

“JARVIS told me you’re awake,” was Bruce’s way of greeting him. Tired eyes roamed over him. “Do you remember…?”

Tony grimaced. “Abomination kidnapped me, kept me in a cave in Arizona for two days, Hulk smashed. He crashed my charity event. It was for orphaned puppies; the guy really is a monster.”

He earned a quiet chuckle from that. “I thought the bit where he’s twelve-feet-tall and has yellow skin would have told you that.”

“Yeah, well--” he was cut off by a familiar rumbling. Tony cocked a brow. “I’m really hoping there’s something to eat. Nutrients via intravenous line doesn’t quite cut it.”

“I should be able to find something. JARVIS, keep an eye on Tony while I’m gone, would you?”

“I always do, Doctor Banner.” 

A soft laugh followed Bruce out the door before Tony was left on his own again. He managed to push himself up with painstaking slowness, piling the pillows up so he had something to lean against. He was shirtless, he realized. Even in the dark, Tony could recognize the discoloration of his own skin, blotches spread like stains over his chest. The skin around his reactor felt tender. He remembered the strength of the grip on his torso and was thankful that cracked ribs were the worst of his damage. 

And just like that, he could feel the rough skin against his own, choking him, squeezing him so tight he thought his chest would cave in. Tony’s throat closed, a gasp getting caught halfway and leaving him sputtering. 

“Sir, should I call Doctor Banner?” 

He couldn’t answer his own AI, struggling to draw in breath. When he did, he began to cough, making his chest seize in pain. Tony wheezed and hacked, each heave feeling like he’d been hit with a sledgehammer until tears were streaming down his face. 

The bed dipped. “Tony.” Hands reached for him, taking hold of his arms before Tony flinched away from the touch. The grip vanished immediately, as did the new weight on his bed. He blinked, sucking in a deep breath and holding it. 

Bruce was standing at the far end of the room, his hands clasped behind his back. It took Tony a moment to realize he was speaking: “--alright, I promise I won’t hurt you, the Other Guy is completely under wraps right now.” He seemed to be trying to make himself smaller. Even from this distance, Tony could see the devastation in his eyes. 

He let his breath out, relieved that there was only a dull ache instead of the agony from before. “It’s okay,” he managed, “I’m okay. Just freaked for a second there.” Bruce nodded, mumbled something about getting food, and absconded before Tony could get out another word. 

When five minutes had passed, Tony was getting ready to get up and look for him. Before he could move, Bruce had returned with a steaming plate in hand. “I, uh, brought dinner.” He walked forward, offering the plate to Tony by stretching his arm out as far as it could go. Then he was rushing for the door, and was almost outside before the inventor blurted out, “Wait.”

Bruce didn’t move, only turning to stare fearfully at him. “You can come over,” Tony said.

Bruce shook his head, mouth quirking up in that sad half-smile that Tony abhorred. “No, no, I’ll leave you be. I can bring some food up and leave you alone after that.” When he began to protest, the doctor continued, “Really, it’s fine. I’m not upset with you, Tony. It’s a good thing that you’re… cautious of the Other Guy now.”

Tony stared. His friend seemed to wilt beneath his gaze, glancing at the floor. He began to shuffle towards the exit before the man broke in with, “Is that what this is about?” Brown eyes met his as he continued. “You think I’m afraid of the Hulk?”

“Are you saying you’re not?” Bruce’s eyebrows were furrowed. “Tony, you acted like…” His throat worked to swallow, and he went back to staring at the carpet. “You acted like I was about to hit you.”

“Because I thought you were!” 

Something shattered behind the doctor’s eyes. Tony backtracked faster than he’d seen some politicians. “Not you. I mean, yeah, I felt like I was being strangled and then you go and grab me so of course I’m gonna be jumpy. I didn’t realize it was you, Bruce!” The last words come out as something of a plea.

Bruce hesitated again. “If you don’t get over here,” Tony warned, “I will get up and drag you over. Do you not see these tears on my face? You’re going to make me cry again if you don’t get you ass in this bed and help me eat.”

It seemed that appealing to Bruce’s inner doctor worked. Tony made a note of it as he was joined by the bespectacled man, who took the plate. And evidently he also took his role very seriously, as they spent the next few minutes fumbling and trying to figure out how to get Tony to eat with Bruce feeding him. 

When the plate was empty, Tony grasped his friend’s arm before he could pull an escape act. “Come on, doc, you can’t leave me alone. What if I fall out of bed.”

“This bed could fit the Hulk,” Bruce scoffed.  
“All the more reason for you to stay then.” His voice was smug. Bruce looked aghast, but didn’t protest any further. 

Cuddling was out of the question, but running his fingers through Bruce’s curls distracted Tony enough to keep him from moving. “You know I’m really not afraid of big green, right? He saved my ass and whooped Blonsky’s. My knight in no armor.”

He didn’t get a reply, but Bruce relaxed a bit more and he supposed that would work for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is it! Hope you guys liked it--please tell me what you thought and tips are always appreciated.

**Author's Note:**

> First time doing an Avengers fic so here's hoping it turned out alright. Tips on Tony and Bruce would be greatly appreciated!


End file.
